1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a smoking apparatus and system for use with tobacco or other smoking material. The apparatus and system include a receptacle for storage of the smoking material, and is capable of storing smoking accessories such as a pipe, a poker, cigarette rolling papers, matches, a lighter or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,214,658 (referred to hereinafter as "the '658 patent") discloses a smoking system that includes a receptacle defining two cavities. In the first cavity, smoking material such as tobacco is stored. In the second cavity, a spring is inserted. A pipe is inserted into the second cavity for storage, and its end abuts the spring. When the opposite end of the pipe is pushed into the second cavity by forcing the spring to compress, a cover can be slid under opposing guides arranged along the top sides of the receptacle, to cover the open ends of the two cavities to store the tobacco and pipe. Upon sliding the cover off the receptacle, the pipe is forced by the spring to protrude from the second cavity so that it can be gripped and removed from the second cavity. With the cover removed, the receptacle can be tipped to empty a portion of the tobacco stored in the first cavity for use.
Although the '658 patent is meritorious in the sense that it provides a relatively compact smoking system, it can accommodate only very limited amounts of smoking material due to the relatively small size of the storage cavity. In addition, the smoking system of the '658 patent can only store a pipe and smoking material, and cannot store other desirable smoking accessories such as a poker to clear the pipe, matches, a lighter, cigarette rolling papers and the like. In addition, the cover of the smoking system of the '658 patent is relatively difficult to insert and remove from the receptacle. It would be desirable to overcome these disadvantages of the '658 patent.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,075,629 (referred to hereinafter as "the '629 patent") discloses a combined tobacco pouch and pipe holder. The pouch of the '629 patent is relatively large, with a correspondingly large flap. At the end of the pouch, a button hole is provided to allow the pipe mouthpiece to be inserted inside of the pouch. The tobacco and the pipe are secured by rolling up the pouch so that the flap closes over the pipe and pouch.
Although the '629 patent is meritorious in accommodating a relatively large amount of smoking material, it is adapted for relatively large pipes on the order of several inches in length. Accordingly, the tobacco and pipe holder of the '629 patent is relatively bulky and difficult if not impossible to carry in one's shirt or pants pocket, for example. In addition, the '629 patent has no means for holding other smoking accessories such as a poker, matches, a lighter, cigarette rolling papers, pipe cleaners or the like. It would be desirable to overcome these disadvantages of the prior art.